Bio
Prototyping atmospheric sensors for an ecological project at Sakiya in Ein Qiniya, Palestine.
As an experience designer and researcher, I’m exploring the adjacent possible, drawing from research and theory to explore speculative futures around curiosities like:
How might we co-create with more diverse talents and grassroots communities, and enable them to be a part of the knowledge production process?
How might we uncover and reclaim ‘hidden’ designs around us that dominate our understanding and shape our lives — not just dark patterns, but legacies of geopolitics and institutionalized structures of power, wealth, and resources?
Instead of optimizing for short-term profits and interests, how might we expand our time horizons to reflect on our past and consider alternatives that balance anthropocentric individualism with ecological sustainability and our collective wellbeing?
Previously, I built novel experiential prototypes with research labs at MIT and ETH Zürich and designed products in the IoT, fintech, and travel spaces that continue to mediate everyday interactions for customers around the globe. I taught design and STEM workshops across three continents, from Hong Kong to Germany and Ghana, empowering students to find their own voices as budding designers and engineers. In a past life, I trained and competed around the country and world on Team USA as a figure skater and cherish my time merging aesthetics and athleticism together to share stories of passion, redemption, and resilience.
Here in Seattle, I serve on the board for the MIT Club of Puget Sound and volunteer for MIT Admissions as an alum. Please reach me at kshum[at]mit[dot]edu.
Education
- University of Washington ’24 — M.S. Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE)
- MIT ’19 — S.B. Computer Science & Engineering (Member of Tau Beta Pi & Eta Kappa Nu Honor Societies)
- ETH Zürich ’18 — Human-Computer Interaction Exchange
Experience
- Designer and developer — Microsoft, OZÉ, Priceline.com, and Ori
- Researcher — MIT CSAIL, MIT Media Lab, and ETH Zürich plus clients like Nordstrom and Credit Suisse
- Instructor — MIT Global Teaching Labs (GTL) and Global Startup Labs (GSL)
- Figure skater — Team USA
- Writer — MIT Admissions
Service
- Volunteer — MIT Alumni and MIT Admissions
- Board member — MIT Club of Puget Sound
Press
- MIT News — Champion figure skater thrives at MIT
- US Figure Skating — U.S. Collegiate Championships Spotlight
- Squarespace — You Should Global Ad Campaign
- City of Piedmont, California — Proclamation: Kevin Shum Day